Israel has not given the U.S. a commitment to hold off from striking
Iran while the U.S. and other countries are holding talks with the
Persian theocracy, said Defense Minister Ehud Barak Tuesday.

In an interview on IDF Radio´s morning news show, Barak said that he
does not believe the attempts to stop Iran´s nuclear program through
negotiation will succeed.

"We are not part of the negotiations," he said, "but we think the
Americans have a goal of stopping Iran Ė yet we believe that the
chances are not high that the sort of steps that are being taken will
cause Iran to fold its nuclear program."

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has dismissed Iranian appeals
for easing of sanctions against it before Tehran makes concessions on
uranium enrichment.

"The burden of action falls on the Iranians to demonstrate their
seriousness and we´re going to keep the sanctions in place and the
pressure on Iran" as preparations are made for the next round of
talks in Baghdad in May, Clinton said at a press conference with
Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota on Saturday. "And we´ll
respond accordingly,"

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi called on the West to lift
its sanctions if it wants to resolve the showdown over Tehran´s
nuclear program. He hinted Iran could make concessions on uranium
enrichment in return.